Pinocchio and Anna
by TwilightSparkle3562
Summary: Following his transformation into a real boy, Pinocchio meets a girl named Anna and together, they head to Pleasure Island to rescue some boys from their village. *Collaboration with BestCrossoverMovies.
1. A Party

Disclaimer: I do not own "Pinocchio," or its characters. They are property of Carlo Collodi and the Walt Disney Company.

*Special Credit goes to BestCrossoverMovies for his contributions to this story.

"Pinocchio and Anna"

By TwilightSparkle3562

Chapter 1

"A Party"

It had been several days since Pinocchio had proven himself to be brave, truthful and unselfish and as a result he had transformed from a puppet into a real boy. It was a big change for Pinocchio, who was now living the life of a normal human being and with being a real boy, comes even bigger responsibilities and accepting what made him who he was now. However, he had his father, Geppetto, the woodcarver, to help him every step of the way. Although Pinocchio was often mischievous, he knew wen he was getting him into trouble and for the sake of his father, promised to no longer tell lies.

But, speaking of Geppetto, he knew that since Pinocchio was a real boy now, he thought that now would be the time for Pinocchio to start having friends just like him. So, he had decided to get together with some of the people in the village to bring their kids over to the shop and have Pinocchio meet them.

"Are you sure that there are real boys like me?" asked Pinocchio as he helped Geppetto get the shop ready for the guests.

"Yes, there are," replied the kind woodcarver. "But, there are girls who are real like you, Pinocchio."

Pinocchio had heard of real boys, but hearing about real girls was not familiar territory for him. The only girls he could think of were the ones who were created from Geppetto's works.

"Real Girls?" remarked Pinocchio, stopping what he was doing. "Are they like real boys?"

"Of course, son," said Geppetto, walking over to his son and picking him up off his feet. "I have arranged with several people in the village to send their kids over here so that you can have the opportunity to meet real children like you. Some of them are also going to be your schoolmates, too."

Geppetto then walked Pinocchio over to the dresser and pulled out what appeared to be a green jumper and a nice white shirt. Pinocchio looked curiously at them as Geppetto laid them down on the bed.

"What is this?" wondered Pinocchio. "Are these for you?"

"No, no, son," laughed Geppetto. "These are you to wear for the party."

Pinocchio was slightly curious, but was willing to see what it was like to wear such clothes. However, he couldn't help but feel slightly nervous.

"Will I still be the same?" he asked. "I mean…you aren't going to make me a puppet again, aren't you?"

"Of course not, son," replied Geppetto, tenderly. "Sometimes, there are occasions where we have to wear clothes like this. But, I promise you, once all is said and done, then you can go back to being yourself, Pinocchio."

Pinocchio was slightly relieved to hear that and allowed himself to try on the outfit that Geppetto had provided for him. When the day of the party arrived, Pinocchio struggled to adjust his mentality while wearing the outfit. At the same time, however, he was also very shy that he was meeting real people outside of his father for the first time.

"Ah, that must be the guests now," said Geppetto as he heard the door knock. Pinocchio watched nervously as the doors opened to reveal a young girl wearing a red dress with yellow sleeves. "Why hello, Anna, don't you look beautiful today, my child?"

"Why, thank you, Mr. Geppetto," she said curtesying. "Mother told me about Pinocchio and I can't wait to meet him, so I decided to give him some flowers."

She motioned to Geppetto, the bouquet of roses that she held in her hands. Geppetto then looked out to see if any more of the children in the village were coming and for some reason, they didn't come.

"Well, Anna, why don't you come in and introduce yourself to Pinocchio?" said Geppetto, allowing her inside. "I'm sure he will be excited to meet you. Oh, Pinocchio?"

Pinocchio was hestitant for a moment and then, he came out from his hiding spot and saw Anna for the first time.

"So, that is what a real girl looks like," thought Pinocchio as he stepped over towards her. "She's more beautiful than the blue fairy."

"Hi, Pinocchio," said Anna, handing him the flowers. "These are for you."

Pinocchio didn't quite know what to say to Anna, but then Geppetto motioned him to say thank you and sure enough, Pinocchio did.

"Why, thank you," he said, accepting the gift of flowers from her. Almost immediately, Pinocchio was starting to get feelings that he never experienced before, feelings that young boys would get when they were around young girls.

"I think that I will leave you to get to know one another," said Geppetto and was just about to leave when Pinocchio grabbed his leg. "No, Pinocchio, you stay here and play with her like a good boy."

Pinocchio nodded nervously and Geppetto went upstairs to allow Pinocchio to get to know Anna, one of the only girls in the village. However, Geppetto could not help but wonder why only Anna was willing to give Pinocchio a chance at becoming friends with her. He had told all the mothers in the village to send their sons and daughters to the shop, but they didn't come.

Nevertheless, he was happy that Pinocchio now had someone who was willing to give him a chance.

"Blue fairy," he thought to himself. "I ask you to watch over my brave little boy as he and this girl get to know each other. I ask you this in your name."

Meanwhile, as Geppetto watched from upstairs, Pinocchio's conscience, Jiminy Cricket, watched from downstairs, also eagerly watching the puppet that the Blue Fairy tasked him to watch over.

"I hope you and this girl become friends," he thought as Pinocchio and Anna began their time together.


	2. Alone in the Shop

Chapter 2

"Alone in the Shop"

With Geppetto upstairs and Jiminy Cricket hiding in the background, Pinocchio and Anna were sitting in front of each other, eagerly curious about one another with Pinocchio being the most curious.

"Is everything all right, Pinocchio?" asked Anna, as Pinocchio continued to look her over like the village doctor. It was after all, his first time with a human girl since becoming a real boy.

"Everything's fine," said Pinocchio, suddenly snapping out of his trance. "It's just that you are not like all the other boys I have met."

"Indeed, so," remarked Anna, straightening her dress out. "Many of them are disobedient and that they are problems for the schoolmaster to handle. But, something strange about them is going on."

Pinocchio was at that moment, thinking about the time he was lured to Pleasure Island by Foulfellow and Gideon acting on behalf of the Coachman, who owned and operated the island. He had a good idea that what happened in Pleasure Island was now coming to light among those in the village.

"What is going on, Anna?" asked Pinocchio, trying to feign the fact that he didn't go to the island. "Where are the boys?"

"They have been missing for a few days," replied Anna, walking over to observe some of Geppetto's clocks. "My mother says that they were lured from here by a strange man in a red coat and he talked in a funny voice, almost like he came from England."

Pinocchio knew exactly what Anna was talking about and he knew that it was indeed the Coachman who was behind the disapperances. In fact, the mere mention of Pleasure Island brought back nothing but bad memories about nearly becoming a donkey like Lampwick, whom he had befriended before becoming a donkey.

"I don't know if they will ever be found," continued Anna, as Figaro the cat came up and rubbed himself against Anna. "It's such a shame for our village to endure this, Pinocchio."

"I know," he replied. "But, I know what it is like to wander off from home and end up in a place you don't know about."

Pinocchio was still trying to hide the fact that he had personally been to Pleasure Island, however he found a way to change the subject to get Anna interested in him again.

"Anna," he said, taking off his hat. "There is something that I have been meaning to tell you about."

Jiminy Cricket, who was watching from nearby, sighed with relief knowing that Pinocchio had avoided doing something embarrassing.

"What is you wish to tell me, Pinocchio?" she wondered, brushing the braids in her hair. "Is there something about yourself that you wish to tell me?"

"I don't know how to tell you this," he said nervously. "But, I was once a puppet carved out of wood. It sounds silly I know, but it's true. A magical fairy gave me life and she said that I could become a real boy if I proved myself, brave, truthful and unselfish."

Pinocchio waited for Anna's reaction, but instead of feeling embarrassed to hear such a thing, she instead smiled and let out a small giggle, almost as if she didn't really care about Pinocchio's rough backstory.

"That's a wonderful story, Pinocchio!" she chuckled. "You were once a puppet? That's what makes you so special to others like me. I've always been viewed as someone who was weird myself, but I've learned to accept who I am."

The young puppet was relieved to hear that Anna didn't mind his backstory and throughout the rest of the day, they continued to get to know and understand each other. However, the mystery of the missing boys continued to grow and no one knew exactly what had become of them and the only one who knew was Pinocchio.

Towards the end of their meeting, however, Pinocchio knew that he had to tell Anna the whole truth. Especially since Jiminy Cricket was miming that he needed to tell the truth.

"Why didn't you tell me this sooner?" gasped Anna, now filled with surprise. "You went to Pleasure Island, Pinocchio?"

Now, Pinocchio was embarrassed to even face Anna, thinking that the meeting was going to be over before it even began.

"I did," he explained. "It was when I was a puppet and that Foulfellow and Gideon persuaded me to go after they said I was allergic."

"You mean that fox and cat that snoop around the village?" asked Anna, knowing exactly who Pinocchio was talking about. "Mother and Father have always told me to avoid them at all times. But, if we need to find out about where the boys are, we have to find out the truth."

Pinocchio was shocked to hear what Anna was saying. He had only just met her and began to fall for her, now they were in the process of starting the adventure of a lifetime. Anna then began to make her way to the door and turned back towards Pinocchio.

"Where are we going?" wondered Pinocchio, confused as to what Anna was doing.

"We're going to find out what happened to the boys in our village," she replied. "Think of it as our first adventure together."

Pinocchio didn't want to go and neither did Jiminy, but the former puppet was smitten for this girl, who was filled with adventure. However, Pinocchio knew that he would have to leave his father again and wrote a letter to him, telling him that he and Anna were going to Pleasure Island to find the missing boys and that they would be back soon.

"I sure hope you know what you are doing, Pinoke," remarked Jiminy as he leapt into Pinocchio's pocket. Little did any of them realize of the adventure that they would all get themselves into.

Meanwhile, Foulfellow and Gideon were up to their old tricks again and were in the process of luring boys to Pleasure Island by order of the Coachman. Soon, they saw Pinocchio and Anna and were already plotting to lure them to the island where they never come back…as boys.


	3. Last Coach to Pleasure Island

Chapter 3

"Last Coach to Pleasure Island"

With Geppetto under the impression that they were going outside to play, Pinocchio and Anna raced from his shop to look for Foulfellow and Gideon, who at that moment had managed to hoodwink several more boys into going to Pleasure Island. They had just about gathered a decent amount when they suddenly heard the sounds of a girl crying out to them.

"Wait!" cried Anna as she ran towards them with Pinocchio trying to keep up. "We want to come too!"

"Who calls out to us?" cried Foulfellow, trying to sound like he claimed that he didn't hear anything. "Do you hear that, Gideon?"

The silent cat nodded and pointed out towards Anna and Pinocchio. Foulfellow was surprised to see that the boy in question bore a striking resemblance to the puppet that he had tried to persuade to join Stromboli's puppet act in addition to luring him to Pleasure Island.

"Well, well, well, who do we have here?" he said, looking at the two of them. "Are you interested in coming with us to Pleasure Island?"

"Yes, we both are interested," replied Anna. "Do you happen to have any room?"

Pinocchio stayed silent as Foufellow chuckled deviously under his breath. In his mind, bringing a girl to Pleasure Island would indeed be satisfying to the coachman, who would possibly pay them extra in return.

"We have plenty of room, my dear," said Foulfellow, looking back to the boys that he had managed to persuade. "Care to see that this girl and her friend comes with us to Pleasure Island?"

The boys all said yes and soon they were all on their way to the coach where the coachman was waiting.

"Well, you blokes sure brought me a good bunch of prospects," chuckled the coachman. "I'm sure that they will enjoy what Pleasure Island has to offer, won't they?"

As they loaded up, the Coachman looked down at Pinocchio and Anna and at that moment, began to think of a way to get his hands on Anna. He had never had any girls come to Pleasure Island and he thought if he could get Anna to become a jackass, she would make a great fortune.

"All right then, giddap!" he called out to the donkeys and started away towards the boat. Pinocchio and Anna were sitting next to the coachman with Pinocchio sitting in between him and Anna.

"That's the man who runs Pleasure Island," whispered Anna to Pinocchio. "We need to make these boys understand that this is not what they are going for."

"But, what can we do?" asked Pinocchio, slightly at a loss for words and thought. "I don't want to end up becoming a jackass again."

"And you won't," replied Anna, trying to stay positive. "When we get to Pleasure Island, rather than just doing what they expect us to do, we rescue the boys from our village and get out."

Pinocchio was starting to realize that Anna was much more than just what made her out to be. For Pinocchio could see that with each minute he was with her, the more smitten he had become of her.

A little while later, the coach came up to a ferry that would take them to Pleasure Island. For the next hour, they travelled to a large cove where Pleasure Island was located and soon, they had arrived at the forbidden island of guilty pleasures. A slight twist then occurred in Pinocchio's stomach, upon reentering the island for the first time since becoming a real boy.

"Nothing has changed," said Jiminy as he peeked out of Pinocchio's pocket. "Listen, Pinocchio, we are turning around and going back home this instant!"

However, Jiminy's sudden appearance made Anna jump upon seeing him for the first time. Anna was so startled that she nearly backed into several boys who were running past them.

"Who is that?" cried Anna, pointing down to Jiminy. "You care a bug around with you!"

"A bug?!" snapped Jiminy, shocked by what he had just heard. "I'll have you know that this BUG is Pinocchio's conscience, young lady!"

But, Anna couldn't help but laugh at Jiminy's sudden outburst and bent down towards him. As far as she was concerned, Jiminy was not someone that she would squash intentionally.

"I didn't mean that!" chuckled Anna. "It's just that you don't look like a bug, rather more like a human of sorts."

Jiminy couldn't stay mad for very long and easily relented himself to what Anna had said to him. With the insults out of the way, Pinocchio and Anna made their way through the crowds and began to find the boys from their village.

"Do you know where they keep the donkeys?" asked Anna to Pinocchio once they got into the clear. "We need to find the boys and get out of here."

"Donkeys?" remarked Pinocchio. "What are you talking about?"

"Where the coachman keeps them," replied Anna. But, Jiminy remembered where they were and decided to speak up.

"I think I know what you are trying to say," chirped in Jiminy as he jumped from Pinocchio's pocket. "I can lead the way since I know where they are."

So, Pinocchio and Anna followed Jiminy to where the donkeys were as the coachman looked on from a distance, before turning towards his minions.

"All right now, hop to it, you blokes!" he said, cracking his whip. "Come on, come on! Shut the doors and lock them tight!"

The minions did as they were told and shut the large doors that separated Pleasure Island from the outside world.

"Now get below and get them crates ready," he ordered as the minions dispersed. The coachman then turned back towards the unsuspecting boys he had brought to the island and smiled evilly.

"Give a bad boy or a bad girl enough rope," he chuckled. "And they'll soon make jackasses of themselves."

However, the coachman didn't know that his reign of terror was about to end thanks to Pinocchio and Anna who were now treading deeper and deeper into the bowels of Pleasure Island in search of the boys from their village.

Still, the more they were together, the more admired Pinocchio became of Anna and before all was said and done, they would soon become more than just friends…


	4. Finding the Donkeys

Chapter 4

"Finding the Donkeys"

With the Coachman's future donkeys having the time of their lives, Pinocchio and Anna followed Jiminy Cricket to where the Coachman kept the donkeys already caged up and ready for shipping. It was very nerve wracking for them all as one wrong move could lead to three lives hanging in the balance.

"This is it," chirped Jiminy, jumping out of Pinocchio's pocket. "Now, we just got to get the doors opened."

"How do we do that, Jiminy?" remarked Pinocchio, looking up at the large doors. "They're big and we're not."

While Pinocchio was a little confused on how to do it, Anna pushed hard and seeing his friend do it, Pinocchio joined his friend and with all their strength, they managed to push the doors open and were greeted by the sounds of braying and the sights of crates and cages strewn all over. Anna had heard the stories of Pleasure Island being a place where they never come back as boys, but this was worse. In her mind, she knew that something had to be done.

"Could this have happened to me, Jiminy?" gasped Pinocchio, seeing what he could have been had he not escaped from this Island.

"It was a good thing I got you out of here when I had the chance," answered Jiminy. "Now, let's find those boys and get out of here."

So, they began their search among the brays and cries of the donkeys who were once young boys hoodwinked into believing that they would go to a place where they would not have to follow any rules and be bugged or bothered by their parents. Now, many of the donkeys would wish that they would rather be back at home with their families.

"Help! Help!" cried a voice and Pinocchio and Anna raced over to the source of the cries. "We want to go home!"

"Over here!" cried Anna and they raced over to see a group of donkeys, still dressed in human clothes, penned up in a pen not far from the docks. However, unlike all the other donkeys, they could still talk. Upon approaching them, Anna was quick to recognize one of them.

"Alexander?" she remarked, seeing a donkey dressed like a sailor. "Is that you?"

"Anna, you've come for me!" cried Alexander. "You've got to get me out of here!"

"Don't worry, we're going to get you all out of here and back home," said Anna as she turned towards Pinocchio. "Give me something to open this pen."

Pinocchio reached into his pockets and pulled out what appeared to be the slug that he had gotten from Stromboli not too long ago. He thought that it wasn't useful, but Anna made him see it otherwise.

"What good will that that do?" said Jiminy. "It's useless!"

But, Anna was not trying to put it in the keyhole, but rather use it to break the lock and after a few good minutes, she managed to break the lock with the slug and the door swung open.

"All right, let's go!" whispered Anna. "But stay quiet. We can't let anyone know where we are."

The donkeys all nodded and agreed as Pinocchio and Anna led them away towards the hills where Pinocchio followed when he escaped from Pleasure Island. However, unbeknownst to them, one of the coachman's lackeys had seen that the pen was opened and ran to tell the coachman about it.

"Well then, find them you fool!" he bellowed, cracking his whip. "Find those donkeys, bring them back to the docks and bring those who helped them escape to me, understand?"

The lackey nodded and got several more of his friends to search the island for any sign of Pinocchio, Anna or the escaped donkeys. By then, Pinocchio and Anna had swiftly led the donkeys nearer and nearer towards the cliffs.

"Hurry, before they see us!" cried Anna, hiking up her dress so as to not trip on it. Suddenly, one of the lackeys shined a light on them and this meant that they were on to the runaway donkeys.

"Run!" cried Pinocchio and they ran faster and faster towards the cliff, where their only chance of escape was by jumping into the waters.

The lackeys moved faster and faster towards the group and the donkeys realized that if they went into the water, they could not swim as fast as Pinocchio or Anna.

"Get back here!" the lackeys shouted and knowing what they needed to do, Pinocchio and Anna jumped into the waters below and the donkeys knew that if they were going to survive, then they had to jump in the water. Just as the lackeys were about to recapture them, they held their breaths and jumped into the cold water below. The lackeys then knew that they were not going to get their hands on the group, so they returned to Pleasure Island to inform the coachman of what had happened.

"ESCAPED?!" he thundered, his voice heard all across the island. "How could you let them escape, you idiots?"

"It wasn't our fault, sir," said one of the lackeys. Those two children…"

"Managed to help them outwit you, eh?" remarked the coachman. "Well, if we don't do something, then they will tell the law about what we do and we will be placed out of business for good. I cannot let that happen, you fools, so find the donkeys and then bring that boy and girl to me!"

Heeding the coachman's orders, the lackeys left the island to search for Pinocchio, Anna and the missing donkeys before their ruse was exploited. Meanwhile, Pinocchio, Anna, Jiminy and the donkeys emerged from the water, their clothes soaking wet as they slowly made their way back to the village.

"Is everyone all right?" gasped Anna, as she squeezed the water out of her dress.

"Certainly feels good to be back on dry land," replied Jiminy, still gasping for air as he let the water out of his clothes. "Come on, let's get home."

So, they started to make their way back to the village, but the Coachman's lackeys were determined to not let them reach their destination…


	5. The Coachman's Plot is Revealed

Chapter 5

"The Coachman's Plot is Revealed"

By the time that Pinocchio and Anna had returned with the boys turned donkeys, many people in their village were wondering where they were and after once again reuniting with their families, Pinocchio and Anna had to explain to their upset parents and guardians about why they disappeared for such a short time.

"So you see," said Anna, trying to defend the actions of her and Pinocchio. "Pinocchio and I were only trying to find these boys and bring them home. There is an evil man who wanted to turn boys into donkeys and sell them for money."

"Nevertheless, there is no excuse for what the both of you have done," said Anna's mother, sternly. "We will decide your punishments as soon as this all is cleared up."

However, Alexander was not going to let his new friends be punished for rescuing him and the other boys. Had it not been for Pinocchio and Anna, they would have ended up in a far worse situation than they already were in.

"Wait, ma'am," he said, trying to defend them. "You don't know what it was like being a donkey. All I wanted was to go home to my mama and I thought all hope was lost until they arrived. Please understand what I am trying to say to you."

Alexander's mother placed a hand on Anna's mother's shoulder and nodded to her silently. Her son was right, both her and Geppetto needed to cut their children some slack.

"All right, Alexander," she replied as Alexander's mother stepped away. "For the sake of you and the other boys, we will go easy on them."

"The only one who should be punished was that man in the red coat," pleaded Alexander. "He lured us away from the village and to a place we thought would be a place where we could do whatever we want. Instead, he wanted to see us become the opposite of our true selves and then sell us to the salt mines and circuses and who knows what."

The entire shop fell silent at what Alexander had said. This upset Alexander's mother so much that she ran over and hugged her son tightly, given the thought of her son being sold into slavery sent chills down her spine.

"What can we do?" asked Geppetto to Pinocchio, trying to figure out a way to stop this from happening again. "There could be more boys that are missing from our village."

"Or from other villages," added Anna. "What we need to do is to inform the constable about this as quickly as possible."

Pinocchio was amazed by how his new friend was trying to plead their case. In a sense, he thought of Anna less as a friend and more like a big sister.

"Indeed we must," said Anna's mother. "He will probably want to talk to you about everything that has been happening at this island."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" remarked Geppetto, racing to his front door. "We must inform him at once."

So everyone headed over to the constable's station and quickly told him about what Pinocchio and Anna had done. As it turned out, the cases of Alexander and the other boys was one of many cases that he was trying to solve along with several other constables from other nearby villages.

"This has been the most informative lead we have seen in a long time," he said to the small group that stood in front of him. "I now have an understanding at what is happening here. This man you speak of, did he happen to wear a large red coat and spoke in a strange accent?"

"Yes sir," said Alexander. "He spoke in a funny voice and seemed to be very convincing to us. All of us thought that he was trying to give us a good time."

However, the constable had one other factor he wanted to say to the group. It was a matter concerning a certain fox and a certain cat.

"Did he also happen to have a fox and a cat as accomplices?" asked the constable, who motioned for another constable to bring something in. "Because they turned themselves in today and happen to give us the same statement as you."

The door then opened and everyone saw Foulfellow and Gideon being escorted into the room with handcuffs on their wrists. This sent shockwaves down Pinocchio's spine, seeing these two in chains. To him, he thought that these two were giving him a chance at life, only to end up stuck down a dark path.

"We decided to turn ourselves in," said Foulfellow, sadly. "It was the only way and we realized that working for someone like the coachman was not worth it anymore, especially after he terrorized us at the tavern."

"They said that the coachman said that those who go to Pleasure Island never come back as boys," added the constable. "In exchange for giving us information and helping us capture the Coachman and his associates, we can give them a lighter sentence of a month in the jail and released on good behavior."

The room was silent for a minute and then Foulfellow cleared the silence.

"We had no idea what we were in for," confessed Foulfellow. "All we were trying to do was make a living. Perhaps after our sentence is completed, we can work at an honest job if we have to."

It turned out that Foufellow and Gideon were not the only ones being questioned on the matter, for another constable came in and brought in someone who was also familiar to Pinocchio.

"Stromboli," he gasped as Anna turned over to him.

"I remember you, you performed in our village recently," added Anna, shocked by what she saw in front of her.

"Yes," said Stromboli, remorsefully. "That boy you are standing next to, was my star attraction. How was I supposed to know he was a real boy? I made a horrible mistake, Pinocchio. I hope you forgive me."

Pinocchio took off his hat and looked up at the downtrodden puppet master. Despite the fact that Stromboli had thrown Pinocchio in a cage, intending to use him for his own purposes, Pinocchio was more than willing to forgive him.

"Stromboli confessed to having lured boys to his puppet shows for the coachman," added the constable. "He, too, will also receive a sentence of one month in jail in exchange for his confession."

"What can we do now?" asked Pinocchio.

"We set a trap for the coachman," suggested Anna to the Constable.

"Indeed," he added. "His next trip to this village, will be his last."

So, the plan was moving ahead for the Coachman's reign of terror to come to an end.


	6. Fall of the Coachman

Chapter 6

"Fall of the Coachman"

A few days after their meeting with the constable, the trap was already set for the coachman's reign of terror to come to an end. It was very clear that he would be returning for the donkeys, but he would not be returning to Pleasure Island ever again. But rather than using them, everyone could see that he was returning for Pinocchio and Anna, since they were the ones he was looking for the most.

Foulfellow and Gideon led the group to the spot where the coachman returned to collect his stupid little boys and the constables left Pinocchio and Anna out in the open while they hid in the bushes, their weapons drawn.

"I hope this works, Pinocchio," whispered Anna, nervously. "We can't let any more go through what Alexander and the others did."

The ex-puppet nodded nervously as the all too familiar coach arrived, being pulled by the team of four donkeys. The evil Coachman looked down at the two children and growled at them as he stopped the coach.

"Where are they, you brats?" he hissed, climbing down from the driver's seat. "I know you hid them somewhere and you are going to tell me where or else."

"Or else what?" said Pinocchio, defiantly. This made the coachman beckon to someone inside the cart and the door opened to reveal one of the minions with a rope tied into a noose.

"Or else we will treat you like we do with all our other jackasses," sneered the Coachman. "Tie you up and make you walk like a jackass. Then, once you've had your fun, you get sold to the highest bidder."

The Coachman then turned his on Anna and roughly grabbed her by the arm, pulling her up into the air.

"As for you my pretty," he continued. "I will sure enjoy having you among the jackasses. It's not every day we sell a mare of your beauty for a decent price."

This made Anna's mother fill her mind with worry for her daughter's safety and wanted to jump out and give him a piece of her mind, but the constable stopped her.

"Are you crazy?" she whispered loudly. "He's going to take my daughter. Do something!"

But, the constable stayed silent and just then, the Coachman motioned to the minion that was in the coach to take Anna and throw her inside. The Coachman then grabbed Pinocchio, who tried to leave and tossed him into the air, too.

"And where do you think you are going, young man?" he laughed. "She's going to need a companion. Throw him inside and let's go, back to the Island!"

But, just as the Coachman was about to get back on, that was the signal for the constables to emerge from the bushes and tackle him to the ground. Several more opened the door to the coach and pulled Pinocchio and Anna out while they dragged the minions out by the scruffs of their hoods.

"Get your hand off of me!" shouted the Coachman, who was trying to reach into his pocket for an unknown object. "Or I will…"

In the struggle, the sight of a pistol came out of his pocket and everyone stood back nervously at what they saw. For the constables, it was enough to have the Coachman arrested.

"Coachman," panted the Constable, as he slapped the cuffs on him. "You are under arrest for kidnapping, false imprisonment, bribery and slavery. It's to the gallows for you!"

The Coachman continued to struggle as he was led away, giving a strong glare to Pinocchio and Anna as if to say he would get his revenge one day. A few days later, the Coachman was found guilty on all of the counts against him and was sentenced to death by hanging.

Later, the Italian army descended on Pleasure Island and liberated the donkeys as well as the boys who were being held prisoner. At the same time, they arrested more of the Coachman's associates while some were sentenced to long prison terms, others suffered the same fate as the Coachman and were hung.

Meanwhile, Pinocchio and Anna resumed their normal lives and sat on the steps outside of Geppetto's workshop.

"I'm glad we met and rescued those boys," she said to Pinocchio. "All I wanted to do was to bring them home to their families, especially Alexander."

"I just have one thing to ask of you, Anna," said Pinocchio, innocently. "If you don't mind my asking."

"What is it?" she asked, touching Pinocchio's hand. "What is it you want to tell me?"

Pinocchio stayed silent for a moment, contemplating the fact that if he spent more time with Anna, they would have more adventures together. This was only the beginning after all.

"If we are going to stay as friends," replied Pinocchio. "Then, can there be times where we do something simple like normal boys and girls are?"

"Of course we can, Pinocchio," laughed Anna, placing her arm over Pinocchio's shoulder. "But you never know what kind of adventures that we will find ourselves in."

At that moment, the passion between Pinocchio and Anna started to grow and they were just about to kiss, when they were suddenly interrupted by a cheerful voice.

"Hey, Anna, Hey Pinocchio," cried Alexander and the other boys who were now back to their normal selves. "Can we join you?"

"Of course," replied Anna, still holding Pinocchio's hand. "We are certainly going to have many more adventures together, all of us, for a long, long time."

So they all sat together as the sun began to set over their village, concluding an adventure for a boy and a girl and the end of a nightmare for a group of boys who never thought that they would see the light of day again. The demon has been slayed and the hell known as Pleasure Island was closed forever.

But, who knows what adventures hold over the horizon for these children? As long as they were all together, anything is possible…anything.


End file.
